The move to work from home in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic will be temporary for many companies, but, like Twitter, Facebook and Microsoft, it appears that Spotify has been embracing remote work for a long time. It announced the Work From Anywhere program, through which it will allow employees to open stores wherever they want.
It will largely be up to employees to decide whether they will venture out into an office when it is safe to do so again or mainly work from home (or anywhere with a decent Internet connection). If they choose a location where there is no Spotify office nearby, the company will set them up with a shared workspace association. Spotify called the move “a new form of collaboration that allows Spotifiers to work wherever they think and create the best.
As soon as the program launches in the summer, employees will need to chat with the manager and staff to find out how often, if any, they will visit the office. There will be some location limits, however, based on time zone requirements and “regional entity laws”.
Spotify is aligning itself with several other major technology companies in adopting a culture of remote working. Salesforce just made a similar announcement. This will allow for more flexible hours and will allow most employees to work from home at least part of the week.